Bringing Photographers Closer to Their Natural World
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Whales, Bears and
Glaciers
© Roger Devore
© Roger Devore This trip explores the wonder that is Southeast Alaska. Unsurpassed scenery and wildlife will be the highlights. We will visit two bear preserves, prime waters for humpback whales, the Ice Kingdom with its glaciers and icebergs, and many other wildlife encounters like Orcas, Dall porpoise, otters, sea lions, bald eagles, and many, many more. We will start in Juneau and end in Wrangell eight days later. Voyage Highlights A special feature of this wildlife experience is visiting two outstanding bear reserves—both Anan Creek, with its photo-blind platform and either or both black and brown bears, and Pack Creek, the best-known place in Southeast for being with grizzly bears or "brownies." © Roger Devore © Roger Devore
© Roger Devore © Roger Devore Another important focus of this voyage is the incredible breaching, resting, lunging and bubble-net feeding humpback whales. In this area during the summer, there are an estimated 300 individually identified humpbacks, at one time, all actively feeding! As many as 800 have been photo identified using this area. Many bubble-net feed, together they swim in a circle, blowing a helix of bubbles underwater that rises to the surface as a wall, surrounding and entrapping the prey. At the surface it appears as a continuing ring of bubbles. The humpbacks are indicating exactly where they will appear next—right in the center of the circle—sometimes in an explosive leap! It is both easy and exciting just to be around these whales, hour after hour, as they alternately feed and rest. We can listen to and record their summer vocalizations and their trumpeting.
© Roger Devore © Roger Devore
Orcas also regularly visit Frederick Sound. It is a part of the territory of the resident “J-pod of the North.” They are as playful, shore-loving, friendly, curious and as easy to be with as the J-pod of Puget Sound. Frederick Sound is also used frequently by transient orcas. These we have seen many times going after various mammals—often close to the boat!
Dall’s porpoise and harbor porpoise are also resident. The former like to bow-ride and rooster tail—zip through the water so fast that they send up a spray of water like a rooster tail! Sea lions and harbor seals are resident too, and both have rookeries on several islands. Steller sea lions also haul out by the hundreds. These huge marine mammals are larger than grizzlies. They growl, rather than bark. We often anchor one night beside one of their rookeries where you can listen to them throughout the night.
A continuous highlight of the cruise is the grandeur of scenery that is equal to the natural history spectacle provided by the animals. The Ice Kingdom and calving glaciers of Endicott or Tracy Arm provide some of the most dramatic scenery in Southeast Alaska. Fords Terror, another possibility for our cruise, is beyond description—it lies outside the realm of the imagination! Everywhere there are snow-clad mountains cloaked in the intense green of old-growth forests. You will not only view these ancient forests, but you’ll go ashore to explore the intimate life of their giant trees, mossy glades, berry patches, and babbling brooks.
Some of the areas you will explore are salmon streams, forest edges, meadows, flower "gardens", river flats, and muskegs—a mosaic of the habitats of Southeast—in addition to these ancient old growth forests. You will be following animal trails. In some cases you will literally be stepping in "grandfather's" footsteps—the deep impressions made by brown bears walking in their same footsteps for years on end.
Admiralty Island has the greatest concentrations of nesting bald eagles and breeding brown bears of any similar-sized area in Alaska—or the world! There are more nesting bald eagles on this one island than in all the rest of the 49 states. It is reported that there is one grizzly per square mile. This would indeed be the greatest concentration of brown bears anywhere in the world.
To the west are the high snow-capped mountains of Baranof Island. To the east are the ice-covered peaks and moving glaciers of the mainland. As we cruise and follow the whales about, this pageantry of splendor continues to unfold. There is always a new light—foggy, sunny, misty, sunny again; broken clouds, scattered clouds, overcast, clear; sunrises and sunsets that go on for hours—providing outstanding photo opportunities. The scenery is always changing and is great for dramatic photography! Each evening brings another new wilderness anchorage and another possible shore excursion. Each day, you can go ashore and explore a new place, take photographs or just sit awhile and contemplate. The days are very full, and life in Southeast Alaska is very rich. You will be in the very heart and spirit of this region. Traveling by boat, you are always where you want to be—somewhere in the vast wilderness area surrounded by gorgeous scenery. A further advantage is that everything, including your luggage, travels with you. Itinerary The itinerary is kept flexible so that we can take advantage of opportunities that present themselves and emphasize the things and activities that most interest you. Our goal each day is to put you in the place or places to maximize your opportunities to enjoy Alaska’s magic. The following description includes some logistical information and the rest is meant only as a general guide. Aug 1 or earlier Pre-trip arrival in Juneau. Make time to explore this capital city, and purchase any essential items, such as a fishing license or rubber boots and rain gear. (Hotel and meals in town are not included in the price of the trip.) Aug 2 Depart for Stephens Passage and Holkham Bay, Endicott Arm and the Ice Kingdom. There may be orcas and whales along the way! You will spend two days in this wildlife-rich official wilderness area. There are a number of potential stops, including the unique Fords Terror vestibule and Endicott Arm. The general area is a glacially carved granite fiord with dozens of waterfalls and cascades. It is like a flooded Yosemite, has 30 miles of floating ice sculptures, and a thunderously calving glacier at the end. It is a very active place and the home to much wildlife—humpbacks, black and brown bears, river otters, harbor seals pupping on the ice pans, porcupines, and large flocks of scoters and other birds. Aug 3 Spend more time in Endicott Arm. Travel to Seymour Canal and possibly Pleasant Bay for the night. August 4,5 Pack Creek is the best-known bear reserve in Southeast, and well it should be. It is only a very small part of Admiralty Island, and an even less significant part of Alaska as a whole. Yet it is here we have one of the best chances for watching brown bears truly be bears (when the salmon are in). The bears here have been protected from hunting since about 1936. Shortly after the reserve was created, Stan Price “retired” here and lived with the bears for more than 30 years. His daily presence both helped to enforce the no hunting and helped acclimate the bears to human presence. He lived with the bears for thirty-four years without any serious problems, but was very tolerant of their “misbehaviors.” After that, a management plan was put in place so that the same small number of people comes to the same place, at the same time, each day. The bears will probably ignore us, as people are and have been a constant their entire lives. Here, again, there is much more than bears. We once saw a white raven and several species of gulls and many eagles are attracted by the wealth of salmon. There may be time to visit Windfall Harbor right next door, also a wonderful bear viewing area. This location gives you an unusually great opportunity to observe bears being bears. It is their custom to act as if you are not there, knowing perfectly well that you are. You will spend the entire day with the bears and other wildlife. We will depart in the early evening for our nightly anchorage. August 6 The next few days will be spent with the whales of Frederick Sound, numerous actively feeding humpbacks, occasional orcas and common bow-riding Dall’s porpoise. This is the center of a large number—sometimes in the hundreds—of summer time feeding humpbacks. This is the same population that goes to Hawaii in the winter for breeding and calving. There are also other marine mammals including Steller sea lion rookeries and harbor seals. Both of these are sometimes the food of the so-called transient orcas. Resident (fish eating) orcas also regularly use the area, so you need to always be on the look out for these exciting animals. You will also go ashore in some jewel-like temperate rain forest settings. Perhaps most importantly, you will have time to get lost in your own thoughts, feelings, and photography. August 7,8 A continuation of Frederick Sound with many options. As always our goal is to put you in the place of maximum opportunity and to emphasize the things that most interest you. There are weeks and weeks—even a life-time—of opportunities here. You are moving out of Frederick Sound now, heading further south past Petersburg (a small fishing town with strong Norwegian heritage), the Wrangell Narrows (a major shipping lane and bottleneck due to its narrowness and numerous hazards), the town of Wrangell and the narrow passage between Wrangell Island and the mainland. We will probably anchor and spend the night in Berg Bay with possibilities to go ashore. August 9 Early in the morning we will depart our anchorage and arrive at the Anan Creek bear reserve. This is a special place, even without the bears. It provides a bay, lagoon, reversing water falls, a walk through an old growth temperate rain forest, stream, more water falls, and a bear observatory and photo blind. The observatory is located above the falls and provides a bit of shelter in case of rain. You can observe the bears at the falls below you, in the stream, and often beside you as the bears move between the creek, falls, and surrounding forest. The photo blind is located right at the level of the falls, eye to eye with the bears. It is available for 30-minute periods by signing up when reaching the observatory. The stream itself is full of migrating salmon that are the central link in the story of the energy cycle of Southeast Alaska. In the evening, we will start back to Wrangell. August 10 This may be the last day, but it is a very busy and exciting one. At 8:00 AM we will depart for the Stikine River and Shakes Lake by shallow draft jet boat. Shakes Lake is visually one of the most exciting places I have experienced in Southeast, or the world. The lake is created by the melting Shakes Glacier and is damned up by the shallow Stikine River and its sand bars. Large house size blocks of ice are usually trapped at the entrance. Once you round them, you enter another world. The lake is surrounded by high peaks with their own glaciers. Numerous glacier fed streams flow across the sides and into the lake. Boulder strewn meadows are colored by numerous flowers. You can walk the meadows following the streams, and travel by boat up to the face of the glacier. Following your return you'll have time to eat lunch in town, check out some of the sights, then get your luggage and catch a cab for the short ride to the airport. Digital Photography/Photography This cruise is ideal for digital photography. Using Delphinus as your “wilderness lodge” and transportation all in one, you never have anywhere to go but where you are and you are always where you want to be—in wildlife-rich wilderness splendor. This means you can take pictures all day and, whenever you get a break, sit down with your laptop and edit your images. Crew The best part of our itinerary is you, doing what you want to do. The second best part is your naturalist and crew. The naturalist plays a central part in all our cruises by enhancing your understanding, deepening your experiences, and heighten your own sense of discovery. Your professional chef is there to similarly thrill you with sustenance, excite you with flavors, and stimulate you with visions of delight. They can also customize the menu to satisfy your individual needs or requirements. Your professional skipper is there to make it all happen in the safest, most enjoyable, and entertaining way possible. His more than thirty years of experience provides the hidden background of the cruise - allowing you to safely be in the place of maximum opportunity to see and do the things you have dreamed of. Now you are doing them - now you are living your dream. And he loves showing this area to others. Cost for this trip is $4695. Single Supplement is an additional $2350 for your own cabin. $750 deposit is required at registration and the balance is due May 01, 2015. The price is all inclusive after arriving on board in Juneau, room and all meals included while on board. Rooms and meals in Juneau & Wrangell are not included. Dolphin Charters always has a fantastic chef on board to prepare gourmet meals not found in any other wilderness setting. A $750 deposit is required when registering for the trip to reserve your place. The balance is due on May 01, 2015. Airports are Juneau for start and Wrangell for the end. Hiking level is easy. Cancellations: A full refund (less $250 per person processing fee) will be made if your cancellation is received 90 days prior to the departure date. Late cancellation (less $500 per person processing fee) will be made ONLY if a suitable replacement is available: otherwise no refunds will be made for any reason. We strongly recommend you purchase trip cancellation insurance to protect your investment (check the Access America web site at www.accessamerica.com for one trip insurance alternative - this insurance is not expensive and can protect you from the unforeseen). Rarely is it necessary for us to cancel a trip. In the event that we are required to cancel a trip you will be notified 30 days before departure and all fees will be refunded. We have done these Southeast Alaska trips for many years and they are always one of our yearly highlights.
© Roger Devore
© Roger Devore
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